Congressional staff visit campus June 25

July 08, 2014 College News - The Wisconsin’s congressional district office directors meet quarterly in a different area of the state to learn more about the work of an exceptional organization. MCW’s Office of Government and Community Relations was proud to have been contacted by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner’s office to host the June meeting at MCW. On Wednesday, June 25, MCW hosted these top staff members and provided several tours of the Medical College of Wisconsin, showcasing the diversity and strength of the exciting work being done on MCW’s campus.

Congressional staff first had the opportunity to meet with Matthew Hunsaker, MD, the founding dean of MCW-Green Bay. Dr. Hunsaker discussed the historical background for the community medical education program expansions in northeast and central Wisconsin as well as much of the exciting work that is progressing toward the matriculation of the first class of students at MCW-Green Bay in 2015.

The staff members then talked with Howard Jacob, PhD, Warren P. Knowles Professor and Chair of Genetics and Director of the Human and Molecular Genetics Center, to learn more about the history of personalized medicine, its current achievements, and its future potential for life-changing clinical outcomes. District directors also had the opportunity to tour Dr. Jacob’s lab to see first-hand the exciting technological advances that have occurred within just a few short years.

Kelly Duffy, PhD, along with Michael Riedel, PhD, then provided a tour ofIvor Benjamin, MD‘s Beating Heart Lab. Throughout the tour, participants were able to watch individual heart cells, as well as “sheets” of cells, beating through a highly powered microscope. Participants learned how this research is allowing clinicians to study the causes and possible therapies for heart attacks and genetic heart conditions.

Following these tours, Congressional staff met with Todd Hoagland, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, to obtain a hands-on demonstration of MCW’s Anatomage Table. The Anatomage Table, among other uses, is included in MCW’s Discovery Curriculum for MCW’s medical students to supplement traditional anatomy education. For the first time, these participants were able to see into the intricacies of the human body through this cutting-edge technology.

Finally, the staff members met with Judy Radtke, MS, STAR Center Manager. Radtke provided demonstrations of the clinical examination rooms and simulators throughout the STAR Center, allowing participants to see firsthand how MCW’s medical students and residents are able to treat patients within complex clinical situations in a safe, yet challenging environment.